Mental Illness and the Connection to Murder

23 years ago, the Lehigh Valley suffered a true massacre. The Freeman Brothers wreaked havoc and created terror in the Allentown community. The brothers killed both of their parents. With a media frenzy in full swing, viewers were watching all over the country – including Jeffery Howard.

Jeffery Howard was a 16-year-old living in Lower Macungie, Pennsylvania.
This was minutes from where the Freeman Brothers were from. One day after coming home from school Jeffery took action and killed his mother and father. Another tragedy for the Lehigh Valley to endure, just days after the Freeman Brother murders.

In a Killer Kids TV special, Criminal Defense lawyer Dennis Charles speaks on the incident and Jeffery’s mental disorder – which played a major part with him killing his parents. Charles knew his client and all his characteristics and struggles. Jeffery’s struggles very much align with missed symptoms of mental health issues. According to Psychology Today, “Mental illness makes it difficult to cope with the demands of daily life. The longer mental illness is left untreated, the more likely it is to interfere with your ability to do your job and effectively interact with others.”

Another consequence of not treating victims of mental illness are possible episodes of violence. The Mental Illness Policy released a study in 1988 that shared research finding, “According to a 1994 department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statics Special Report, “Murder in Families”, 4.3 percent of homicides committed in 1988 were by people with a history of untreated mental illness (study based on 20,860 murders nationwide). The Department of Justice report also found of parents killed by children 25.1 percent of defendants had a history of untreated mental illness.”

Jeffery was constantly struggling in school and living in the shadow of his successful older brother and also had minimal social interaction with his peers. What prompted and triggered Jeffery’s violence the day of the murders was failing a Spanish test. We are seeing a connection of daily struggles and not seeing what true reality was resulting in horrible violence.

Dennis Charles also reveals that psychological testing proved Jeffery was well in fact diagnosed as legally insane during the time of the killings. With Dennis Charles as Howard’s legal defense had an influence of proving to the jury that Howard was truly legal insane. Towards the end of the Killer Kids TV special, Charles’ discusses closing arguments to the courtroom was, “This is what happens when mental illness is not treated.” That day in court Jeffery Howard was found not guilty and underwent treatment for his mental issues.

Dennis Charles and Fredrick Charles have been advocates of justice since 1977. In his nearly 40 years of trial experience, Attorney Charles has successfully presented and cross-examined forensic experts in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, mental health, firearms, internal medicine, DNA, and other forensic disciplines. Attorney Charles did in fact achieve a not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) jury verdict and received national media coverage in the Jeffery Howard case. He is the only attorney in the history of the Lehigh County to achieve multiple Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) jury acquittals in criminal cases. Attorneys Dennis Charles and Fredrick Charles provide a combined 80 years of experience and will always be the key to a successful outcome.

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Copyright 2019 Charles Law. Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with a lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the attorneys at Charles Law Offices.